Grasslands [Paperback]

Debra Seely (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

When a letter arrives from Thomas Hunter’s father inviting him to join his new family on their Kansas farm, Thomas can already see himself riding across the prairie like a real cowboy, away from his wealthy grandparents in Virginia. But the hardscrabble life on the farm is a lot tougher than Thomas expected. Just as he begins to grow restless, his family’s herd gets swept up in a cattle stampede and he must follow a group of cowboys to reclaim it. Finally he’s got the prairie adventure he’s dreamed of. But does he have the courage to see it through?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite uneven storytelling, this debut novel convincingly illustrates the gaps between the romance of the West and the realities of daily life on a struggling Kansas farm in the early 1880s. At 13, the narrator, Thomas, has already journeyed twice in a covered wagon-westward, from his maternal grandparents' home in Virginia, and then back east soon after, following the death of his mother. Raised by his grandparents, Thomas fantasizes about his father, imagining him as a cowboy, "the kind of man who would not be stuck inside reading The Pilgrim's Progress while dogwoods were blooming." His father, remarried and settled with stepchildren, invites Thomas and his sister, Becky, to come live with him, and while Becky chooses to stay at her academy, Thomas eagerly agrees. Seely homes in on the rigors of the prairie-the cramped farmhouse, the roughness of Thomas's task-minded stepmother, the constant chores (at which his younger step-siblings easily outshine him) and the hunger and privation. The narrative offers harsher examples, too (a toddler loses her way in the grass and dies). While Thomas has an engaging voice, some aspects of the plotting seem teacherly, as in the introduction of characters who mostly defy stereotypes (e.g., horsewomen and black cowboys), and in the dashing of Thomas's fancies when he is finally swept up in an actual cowboy adventure. And, unfortunately, the novel's resolution, in which Thomas reaffirms his love for the land, seems abrupt. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Thomas has lived with his wealthy maternal grandparents in Virginia since his mother's death on the Kansas prairie. He has no real memory of his father, but he dreams about life out West with real buffalo, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Dick Deadeye. Now, years later, his father writes that he has remarried and wants his son to come and live with him. Thomas is disappointed and hurt by the lack of warmth in his new stepmother and her two children, and is unprepared for the unending, difficult chores. He toughens up through hard work behind a plow, danger with a rattler, the loss of his half brother, and adventures with a cattle stampede. By book's end, Thomas has matured into a young man with a new understanding of and appreciation for the beautiful but harsh prairie. With just enough whining, sibling jealousy, and confused emotions, the first-person narrative has the genuine voice of a 13-year-old boy. Mixing humor with hardship gives the story a balance that pulls readers on to the next chapter, knowing that Thomas will choose to stay with his father rather than return to Virginia. In using her great-grandfather as inspiration plus an excellent list of primary and secondary sources, the author has created a fine historical novel that will satisfy those curious about the 1880s, as well as those looking for adventure.-Carolyn Janssen, Children's Learning Center of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Speak (August 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142403652
• ISBN-13: 978-0142403655
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,397,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Historically-Accurate Prairie Adventure for Kids, September 9, 2004

By 

Jane Peterson (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grasslands (Hardcover)

This book shows the real west from a kids point of view. The good, the bad, and the ugly all mixed in with the sensitivity of an author who has roots in the area. I enjoyed the book tremendously and it revealed many new aspects of the prairie life that CLint Eastwood movies failed to mention. Its a refreshingly frank view of the real hardships on the prairie that gives me even more respect for the grit and determination of the early settlers.It was clearly well researched and fact based. More importantly, since its targeted to kids - I gave this book to my nieces and nephews as a Christmas gift. They couldn't put it down and were asking for 'the rest of the story' which Ms Seely provides in Last of the Roundup Boys.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Reasonable Good Book, January 21, 2003

By 

Donald L. Stoll "Tammy Stoll" (Kansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grasslands (Hardcover)

This book was a good read, but there were also disappointments. Myself, living in Kansas, I felt the reader was some how putting Kansas down, from the boy's point of view. I suppose I don't really like what it was like back then, but, as a Kansas citizen, I am proud to live here in the vast prairies, and flat lands. To me, it seemed like Thomas' father only wanted him to come live with him, because he needed another farm hand around the place. In this short story, two young children also die. Thomas' half baby brother, from whooping cough, and a neighbor girl, who was only three, and got lost on the prairie. I guess in this day and age, we don't like to think about the bad things in life, and are not use to it when it comes to reading stories.
Otherwise, it was a good book, and you do learn a lot about the Kansas prairie.